"Willie Mays Turns 90"

 The great Willie Mays turns 90 today!! Just for fun, I created a faux magazine cover for a non-existent MAGAZINE about Mays (above), but my real-life editor MARTHA reminded me I did publish a real BOOK about him last year (check Amazon).  Why do a fake MAG, when you did a real BOOK?? Lol. Anyway, I just love that man, perhaps one day I'll say WHY I do....it goes BEYOND his ability as a ballplayer, I'll say that.

Anyway, I submitted a letter to the two New York papers recently and the NY Daily News actually printed it today, on his 90th!! Here it is....

They edited my letter a bit, here's the original for comparison....

Editor,

May 6th is the 90th birthday of the man who started and ended his baseball career in New York, the amazing Willie Mays. Even though many consider Mays the Greatest All-Around Player of All-Time, because he was non-controversial there has never been a movie made about him yet, and therefore many today don't instantly know his name. And yes, it was #42, Jackie Robinson, who broke MLB's color barrier but it was #24, Willie Mays, who broke an "invisible" color barrier by becoming the first black captain of a Major League team (with the San Francisco Giants, in 1964). I'm a Yankee fan, mind you but the great Joltin' Joe DiMaggio did his part to keep Mays in the shadows by proclaiming himself "The Greatest Living Ballplayer" when Willie clearly had a better career than Joe did! Which leads me to a quick story about DiMaggio (who Willie idolized, by the way) and Mays.

In October 1979, Joe D. was the Grand Marshal of the Columbus Day Parade in Newark. He led the celebration up Bloomfield Ave. amidst great fanfare and a large turnout. I, personally, did not see the parade because though I lived on Bloomfield Avenue then I lived in Bloomfield, and the parade didn't go up that far. Nor did I bother to leave our house and go see DiMaggio (I regret that)! Seven months later, May 1980, Mays came to a bar on Roseville Avenue in Newark for a luncheon sponsored by a black businessman. This was not far from where DiMaggio's parade started, just in a different direction than the parade route. The "crowd" awaiting Willie's arrival was sparse compared to Joe's, but I went, as I was from Newark and a Mays fan since the age of five. (Ironically, the bar Willie visited was very close to one called "The Yankee Clipper," DiMaggio's nickname when he played. It seems like no matter what he did, Willie was always in Joe's shadow).

I didn't go inside the bar, but what did I see when my carpet cleaning colleague James Ebon's limo pulled up in front of it, and the great Willie Mays stepped out? I saw "The Greatest Living Ballplayer," no matter what anyone else called themselves. It was the first of three times I met Mays, and still the one I treasure most. Even since DiMaggio died in 1999, I still haven't heard anyone say Willie is "The Greatest Living Ballplayer" and he's too humble to say it, himself.

Happy 90th, Willie, if you're reading this! Your fans know the truth, and we always have.

Chet Jelinski

Notice they printed my letter on page 24....Willie's number!!